Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Every time I read a passage from the Prophet Jeremiah, I stop to remind myself that this man was a teenager when he first heard the call to serve God in a prophetic role. That fact makes it so much easier to understand both why he was rejected by the court of Israel as well as his own obvious terror as he continued to plunge deeper and deeper into conflict with the king. Today's passage from Jeremiah is an example.
There is definite movement in today's passage. It begins with terror. Then Jeremiah remembers that God is his champion. It concludes with a prayer that God will indeed be with him at the hour of his trial.
Those of us who suffer from any kind of mental or physical impairment or disability should be able to identify with this young man. He has been deserted by his friends. He is suffering at the hands of his tormentors. He bucks himself up by remembering that God has promised him to be with him. However, he prays that his faith in God is not misplaced.
"The Lord is with you." The words that Mary heard when Gabriel came to her to announce that she would be the Mother of God are the consistent message that runs throughout the Scriptures. Each story that we read, each prophet that we ponder, each psalm that we pray relies upon this singular truth. God is with us.
If God is with us, who can be against?